SummaryA familial dermatoglyphic survey has been carried out in relation to 100 patients with congenital heart disease.Separating the cases with characteristic dermatoglyphic traits from the rest it was found that they were more like their mothers than their fathers and than the remaining cases. The parents were also more alike in the same respect than the other parents.These findings support the concept of a genetically determined fraction amongst all the patients with congenital heart disease.